GLOBAL BINGE: Netflix has expanded into 130 additional countries in its bid to build a global streaming empire, The Wall Street Journal reports. After the company made the announcement at CES in Las Vegas, the stock went ripping. The international expansion efforts are becoming more important to Wall Street as U.S. subscriber growth slows. The content available globally won’t mirror what’s on in the U.S. Consumers in these new markets will mostly be getting Netflix originals like “Jessica Jones” and “Marco Polo.” Offering most shows made and distributed by big Hollywood studios is a tricky endeavor, as Netflix must secure global distribution rights, which means overcoming the hesitation of studios and competition from other bidders in each market. “We gained confidence that we could launch with our core content offering being originals,” Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said.

CUT AND DRY: It wasn’t just Netflix’s announcement –- streaming has been a major topic at CES this year, as media and electronics companies make a play for the fast-growing set of Americans cutting the cable cord. WSJ’s personal tech guru Geoffrey Fowler highlighted a few devices, such as a revamped Sling TV interface from Dish that makes more recommendations and stores your shows in the cloud. Samsung, for instance, is adding technology to 2016 TVs that recognizes when viewers have other add-on devices like game consoles and allows one remote to control everything. Of course, the easier it gets to cut the cord, the more pressure gets put on traditional TV players.

PIZZA MY MIND: Two ESPN commentators, Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen, rang in the new year by tweeting laudatory things about Domino’s, the pizza chain. It seemed like a strange coincidence, but it wasn’t: Messrs. Mortensen and Schefter are paid endorsers, a thorny issue for ESPN, whose commentators often toe the line between journalism and celebrity, CMO Today reports. One problem about the tweets is that they lacked any disclosure that they were in fact ads, as Deadspin pointed out. Domino’s, which apologized for the tweet mix-up, has a larger strategy at ESPN: it spends big money across the network and even features Messrs. Mortensen and Schefter in ads. While ESPN says personal endorsement deals are negotiated separately, its talent can be a carrot for big brand advertisers.

VICE VERSUS: With Vice Media’s long-awaited cable channel, Viceland, launching on Feb. 29, the network’s creative director Spike Jonze gave a preview of how the media company plans on luring in young viewers who increasingly avoid traditional TV, Adweek reports. Mr. Jonze, who has put his acclaimed film directing career on hold to help make Viceland, said “we’re trying to make a channel that is personal, that is people trying to understand the world that we live in.” The shows, which Vice has been hyping for months, include an LGBT travel show hosted by actress Ellen Page and “Weediquette,” which looks at marijuana culture and science. The network isn’t necessarily sticking to normal program conventions either – the number of shows and show lengths could vary within a series.

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